Russian government funded news source Russia Today (RT.com) has reported that President Vladimir Putin will seek for licensed bookmakers to fund national sporting events, with new laws set to be introduced by mid-2016.

At present Russia has 25 registered bookmakers, President Putin is reported to want gambling operators to contribute further funding to national sporting development as the country prepares to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Putin’s funding initiatives are supported by Russian football stakeholders. Spartak Moscow FC owner Leonid Fedun , welcomed Putin’s plans stating that all levels of Russian football were in need of further funding.

“Let’s look at the British Premier League, where every second team has a bookmaker as sponsor. The bookmaking business is booming. People spend a lot of money on bets, some of that money could be given to football clubs,” Fedun commented.

In 2016 the Russian government will seek greater cooperation with licensed gambling operators, however the Duma is unlikely to change its national regulatory framework regarding the opening of its market to international operators.

In October Media Regulator Roskomnadzor undertook a government sanctioned IP blocking initiative which saw the blocking of Russian access to European betting operators Triobet, Betway, Unibet, 888Poker and bwin.party brands .

Eastern European focused operators Favbet, TrioBet, VulkanBet and 1xbet had also been restricted access by Roskomnadzor